Bacterial infections are a major health challenge, killing around 100 Europeans a day as they become increasingly resistant to common antibiotics. To address this, researchers like Dr Rienk Pypstra are working together to create more effective treatments. The problem with bacteria – one of the simplest life forms – is that they evolve
Alseno Kagiso Mosai, University of Pretoria and Hlanganani Tutu, University of the Witwatersrand Highly toxic metals are leaking out of nine abandoned mines in Krugersdorp, 32km west of Johannesburg, South Africa. The metals include uranium, arsenic, cadmium, chromium and mercury. This acid mine drainage – when water mixes with heavy metals in mines
The science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke famously said that ‘any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.’ For Dr Kunal Masania, an associate professor of aerospace structures and materials at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, Clarke made a huge impression. ‘I’ve always been greatly inspired by this,’ said Masania.
Dr Ana Santos becomes emotional when describing what happened several years ago: her grandfather and an uncle died of a urinary tract infection and a good friend succumbed after an accidental cut got infected. She was shocked. In an age of antibiotics, such misfortunes weren’t supposed to happen. Rise and fall of antiobiotics
ph. Helena Nechaeva/Shutterstock Frances Spragge, University of Oxford and Erik Bakkeren, University of Oxford In the last decade, it has become increasingly clear that a gut full of friendly microbes (the microbiome) is vital for our good health. It has also become clear that a healthy microbiome is one with a diverse population
px. Alex Andrei/Shutterstock Primrose Freestone, University of Leicester Every year, around 2.4 million people in the UK get food poisoning – mostly from viral or bacterial contamination. Most people recover within a few days without treatment, but not all are that lucky. As a microbiologist, I’m probably more acutely aware of the risk
By: Sanjeet Bagcchi Overuse of antibiotics in agriculture can lead to the emergence of bacteria resistant to the body’s innate immunity, a study led by the University of Oxford suggests. The research found that an antimicrobial called colistin, which is widely used as an animal growth promoter in farm-raised animals such
A Journey Through the Hidden Universe of Microorganisms and Their Impact on Our Lives Our world is teeming with life beyond the realm of human perception: a microscopic universe populated by millions of diverse species that have an immense impact on our lives and the planet we inhabit. This article delves into the
The increase in antibiotic resistance poses a major threat to global health. Actinomycetes, the Gram-positive bacteria of the order Actinomycetales, are fertile producers of bioactive secondary metabolites, including antibiotics. Nearly two-thirds of antibiotics that are used for the treatment of bacterial infections were originally isolated from actinomycetes strains belonging to the genus Streptomyces.
Working with dangerous viruses sounds like trouble – but here’s what scientists learn from studying pathogens in secure labs Jerry Malayer, Oklahoma State University There are about 1,400 known human pathogens – viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa and helminths that can cause a person’s injury or death. But in a world with a trillion